My Father's Hats

"Theory" by Mark Irwin (2004)

Irwin revisits childhood’s impact on the present in this later poem. Both “Theory” and “My Father’s Hats” begin by focusing on the joy a child finds in objects while their adulthood counterparts gaze down, “trying to find the child. — To raise / memory to the vividness of the present” (Lines 4-5).

Irwin creates more ambiguity in “Theory” by quickly jumping from fragmented image to fragmented image and the introduction of a first-person speaker in the final stanza. However, the threat of time breaking bonds remains clear: “Now I’m learning to feel the invisible bones / of her face, dressing them with my own / dissolving touch” (Lines 9-11).

"Rider" by Mark Irwin (2008)

While “My Father’s Hats” delved into the loss of the father, the speaker of “Rider” copes with his mother’s mortality. “Rider,” also a narrative poem, takes place in one set moment and does not use flashbacks. The speaker shares his presumably final moments with his mother before “we said goodbye” (Line 11).

In this poem, Irwin reverses the parent-child relationship. The son cares for his mother as she indulges in play and childish wonder. Irwin’s speaker pretends to be his mother’s horse, tragically setting up when the mother’s breath “galloped away” by nightfall (Line 14).